Patna, Oct. 27: The chief justice of Patna High Court, in a rare gesture, has offered to meet chief minister Rabri Devi to resolve the imbroglio over payment of dues to employees of sick units and retired government staff.

The judiciary and the executive had been engaged in a war of words during the several court hearings on the dispute, which sparked a spate of suicides and deaths in the state.

Justice R.S. Dhawan said he would meet the chief minister “if that helps the poor and sick employees dying of hunger”.

Justice Dhawan’s offer came after a division bench of the chief justice and Justice Shashank K. Singh heard a case where sick unit employees spoke about their hardships.